Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez has said
that the Blaugrana would find it very difficult to reacquire the services of
Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain. The Brazil international made the switch to
the French champions from the Camp Nou two years ago but reports have indicated
that he would prefer to make a comeback ahead of next season.
Speaking to Movistar, Xavi said that Neymar
remains one of the best players in the world and it would be an incredible
signing for the Spanish champions. However, he added that the deal won’t come
easy with Les Parisiens likely to demand in upwards of £200m for the former
Santos graduate, he told: “He would be an incredible signing. But I see it as
being difficult, honestly. I think it’s very difficult. We have seen so many
things that I thought I’d never see though, such as PSG paying €222million, so
we’ll have to wait. There’s no doubt that he’s one of the best players in the
world, but let’s see what Barcelona do.”
Barcelona are currently not in a position
to sanction a world-record fee for the attacker, considering they are set to
pursue Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid for around £108m. As such,
reports have suggested that they may discuss an exchange deal whereby there is
no money involved for the transfer agreement.
The Blaugrana have made no mention regarding the same but reports suggest that Samuel Umtiti, Ivan Rakitic and Ousmane Dembele could be offered as makeweights to land the services of the Brazilian attacker. Barcelona have been a dominant force through La Liga over the years and last season saw them win the title with a comfortable 11-point gap.
They, however,have not been able to replicate the same at the European scale and have not won the Champions League since the 2014/15 season. That period saw the prime of Neymar, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez on the playing field and the supporters could witness a reunion of the attacking trident this summer.